An albatross told me a story the other day. It didn’t squawk, speak or sing. It was dead. A picture of the bird’s carcass said more than any words ever could. Its bones were full of bottle caps, plastic soda rings and other garbage. This is not something you want see while enjoying a day by the ocean.
The bird had swallowed debris from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the “Pacific Trash Vortex.” Since when has Earth had a trash vortex in the middle of its largest ocean?
Earth day was just a two weeks ago, and it got me more interested in the environment. Looking for ways to be more eco-friendly, I found a ton of information on plastics. Some of it was appalling and some was marvelous.
The Vortex has one of the highest known levels of particulate in its upper water column. The upper water column is the top of a conceptual column of water from surface to bottom sediments. Researchers studied the impact of plastic photodegradation in the water. Unlike other types of debris, plastic is especially threatening to our environment. While organic matter biodegrades, plastic photodegrades. The process of photodegradation occurs because the effects of light cause plastic to disintegrate into smaller particles but never fully decompose. This means that the plastic becomes small enough to be ingested. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to drink former plastic bottles, and I don’t want to eat them.
My roommate Sarah Cannon is mindful of her plastic use. “I always bring my own bags to the store, and I use aluminum bottles and glass jars to drink out of,” she said. The other day, she forgot her re-usable bags at home, and I thought she was going to punch the bag boy when he double-bagged her groceries.
The best way to go is to avoid using plastic bottles and bags. Aluminum or glass water bottles and cloth bags are a great alternative to using plastics. If you use plastics, be aware of what they are capable of doing. The other day, I saw a girl walking down the street with a purse made of tightly woven plastic grocery bags. This purse not only saves resources, but is easy to keep clean because it is made of plastic that you can rinse out. When thinking of ways to conserve, people come up with cool stuff that they probably wouldn’t have otherwise. Conservation is good for the planet and our imaginations.
For example, in 1998, Richie Sowa, former musician, artist and carpenter from Britain, filled discarded and donated fishermen’s nets with around 250,000 discarded plastic bottles to support a 66-by-54-foot structure of plywood and bamboo. He covered it in virgin white beach sand and planted numerous plants and trees. He created his own island that continued to develop over time. In 2005, it had a two story house, a solar oven, a self-composting toilet, three beaches and mangrove trees.
Then, there is the Plastiki, my favorite re-use project. On March 20, 2010, expedition leader David de Rothschild set off from San Francisco with his six-person crew in a vessel created from 12,500 reclaimed plastic bottles and other types of recycled products. They created the boat using different types of renewable energy systems such as solar panels, wind and trailing propeller turbines, and bicycle generators. The journey will take the crew to Sydney, Australia. Along the way, they will stop at several important ecological sites. You can track the journey of the Plastiki at www.theplastiki.com.
For easy, everyday conservation, there are a few things on campus you should know. Muddy Waters employee Eric Leonhard suggested getting washable mugs rather than throw away cups. “All you have to do is leave your I.D., and we’ll return it when you give the mug back,” he said. The cups used at the smoothie counter in the Depot are Corn Cups, made by Eco-Products. They look and feel like plastic but are made from corn. These cups compost under commercial compost conditions in just 45-60 days. Another great way to avoid plastic is “chico bags,” sold at the Cupboard. Junior Heather Bee said, “I’ve had mine for years, and it’s always in the bottom of my backpack. It folds up all cute and tiny and is great on spur-of-the-moment shopping trips.”
You may not create an island or build a boat, but as long as we have plastics around, we need to do what we can to re-use them. The negative effects of plastic don’t have a quick fix. Let’s use our imaginations to make some fantastic stuff and keep Earth strong.
The Lumberjack > Opinion > Columns
Skeels Ideals // Welcome to Plastic Beach
Kaitlin Skeels
Published: Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Updated: Tuesday, May 4, 2010 23:05
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